sift meaning and definition

SIFT verb

Definition of sift (verb)

1. move as if through a sieve
   • "The soldiers sifted through the woods"
2. separate by passing through a sieve or other straining device to separate out coarser elements
   • "sift the flour"
   • synonyms: sieve, strain
3. check and sort carefully
   • "sift the information"
   • synonyms: sieve
4. distinguish and separate out
   • "sift through the job candidates"
   • synonyms: sieve